He quickly gained a cult status in F1 because of his attacking driving style on track and his quirky lifestyle off track.

During his Sauber days Kobayashi, who is the son of a sushi chef from Amagasaki, claimed that he did not have a home but lived out of suitcase travelling the world.

Caterham have chosen the ice cool Swede Ericsson to partner Kobayashi. The 23-year-old impressed with his performances in last season's GP2 Series, the official feeder championship for young drivers aspiring to race F1's global stage.

"This is a very proud day for me and everyone who has helped make my F1 dream come true," said Ericsson.

"It's obviously great for Sweden that we'll have a Swedish driver back on the grid in 2014. This is what I've been working for since I first started racing karts back when I was nine years old, and now I know I'm ready for the step up to F1.

"Caterham is a young team and together we can take on the challenges the new rules will present in 2014 - learning together and continuing to develop as the season progresses."

The 22 drivers on the grid must grapple with major changes in the 2014 season, which begins in Australia on 16 March.

With a reconfigured engine and chassis to consider, as well as new fuel and weight limits, F1 teams will be working flat out to get their cars ready for testing which begins in Spain next week.

McLaren will be the first team to launch its new-look 2014 car in an online presentation Friday with Ferrari set to follow on Saturday.